Times are a Changin'

Today, I am 31 and 1 month.

I know I am a little late blogging my bithday, however I guess that is how it goes when you are in graduate school.

To celebrate, my roomate and I went to The Melting Pot. I love this place! I also got this...

 The Vera Bradly, Grand Traveler in Lemon Parfait!

I have used it once to go to the beach and then the fateful time in the hospital with Amanda, but it is a great bag. Here's to more vacations using it!

One thing that has been on my mind lately is my weight. I have had the oppertunity to go on so many great vacations ...

      April 09 - Las Vegas - Wt 165                             November 2009 - Bermuda - Wt 173

September 2010 - Brazil - Wt 169       March 2012 - Disney Cruise - Wt 175

Currently I weigh 180.5 as of today ... I attribute to some of the weight (5 punds) to the aforementioned roomie's stay in the hospital for 7 days and living on hospital food. I know that I cannot blame the weight gain on that as I am responsible for my own actions.

However, I want to look back on my photos and enjoy actually looking at myself!

 Back in 2010 we knew we were going to Brazil, we had just gone to Las Vegas and Bermua the previous year and realized how big we really were. We both were at the heaviest we had ever been! We had 6 months to loose as much weight as we could and we both lost 10-15 pounds! I felt good, however still wasn't happy with my weight. I continued to yo-yo after that and have returned to the heaviest weight I have been.

We have more trips planned. We are going back to Disney World (we were there in 2006) and Brazil (and hopefully Argentinia) in 2014 and maybe include a quick jaunt here or there and I want to be happy looking back at the wonderful memories and more Once-in-a-Lifetime trips in our future.

SO in the always continuing quest to loose weight, I thought I would post here. Not sure how many people will read it, however it is a way to keep myself accountable. Obviously, I don't update often, however if I succeed I want a journal of my journey; the good, the bad, and the ugly. I am not saying it is going to be easy, or quick, and I know it takes a lot of determination and willpower. So, as of now I have some great websites that I often rely on to assist.

First is Weight Watchers... I have tried the others, and have had success, however I enjoy the freedom that Weight Watchers provides. I enjoy thier moble app as it is convenient and they also have recipes.

Second is SkinnyTaste... This is a great resource for YUMMY recipes that includes Weight Watcher points.

The following are blogs, who have lost weight themselves and have been such an inspiration to me.

Can You Stay For Dinner

The Domestic Wannabe

Elizabeth Writes

I hope by posting my success here and documenting my journey, I will never let it get out of hand as much as I have over the past few years!

Oh, and one more thing...

CONGRATULATIONS to Amanda!

She is my biggest inspiration, as she has lost more than 40 pounds!

 Before (2009)                                       After (2011)      

30 days of 30: Day 1

Well it happened, or maybe I should say 'happening' ...

Today, I turn 30, the big 3-0. I have been dreading it since I turned 25, but the day has finally arrived. I have big plans for my 30s and in a way actually looking forward to them, but also sad to say good by to my 20s. When I turned 20, I was in college, dating my first love, looking forward to 21, graduating from nursing school, and getting my first nursing job. The last 5 years have been pretty uneventful staying in the same job, living in the same house and having the same dog, and while I have had a great time at all of my friends weddings, it hasn't been my wedding, and while I have enjoyed welcoming each beautiful baby that they have had, it hasn't been my baby. I am hoping in the next 10 years I get to experience those things that so many of my friends have and much more!

In the next 30 days I hope to post everyday. A little bit of me, right now, as I turn thirty. What my life is like; my hopes, dreams and goals for this new time in my life, and reminissing and so as the first post...

Your Favorite Song

This is a hard topic as I am not much of a music person. A likes to point out just how much I don't know by asking me music trivia on long car rides and I mostly answer everything incorrectly, however, if I do get something right it is usually the 80s era. I thought I would choose something from this era, however as I was scrolling thorough my iPod, there was one song that I just couldn't look over, get out of my head and move on from. I am going to have to go with my mom on this one and say 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' as it has always been her favorite as well. I am currently loving this version right now. It immediatly takes me away to an island, and I start day dreaming, and if I really listen to the words it makes me cry. I think it is an appropriate song as I move into this new time in my life.



So Goodbye 20's, HELLO 30s!

Enjoy!

Babies! and lots of them...

I have been busy lately, very busy. Aside from working my normal 3+ 12 hour shifts I have attempting to do a little photography on the side. Last December my sister had her 2nd baby and I was excited to attempt my photography skills on a newborn! Since then, 2 good friends had beautiful babies and a couple of people from work. Here are the results:

Baby Z - my neice (13 days old)

Then came Baby J (7 days old)

and Baby B (12 days old)

and Baby M (4 days old)

and another Baby M - but a girl! (16 days old)

Can you smell the newborn-ness?

Then my neice went turned 6 months old and the other graduated Kindergarten (!!)

We had a little photoshoot with Regan,

and one of Zoey (6 months)...

and then one of my friends asked me to watch her little baby and I just couldn't help by have my way with her!

Baby A (3 months)

Phew, I'm exhausted, but I have loved every minute of it! They are so cute I could just eat them up!

two-cup kinda day

Today has been a two-cup kind of day. a typical Monday morning where nothing goes right and to top it off it is raininh. Normally I am at work on Mondays, this week I am off and I really don't know what to do with myself. I have a list of things to do today and would like to accomplish, but with the way things are going, I am getting frustrated.

I have so many baby things to make! So many people are having babies right now and I would really like to make something for each of them.

Two baby blankets like this. I have meade one before, (but didn't take pictures of it) and loved it! However, it takes FOREVER to complete all of those lines and my back really starts to hurt :(

My sister has asked for a crochet hat for my neice. I love the look of this one.

So vintage-ey and beautiful. She has also asked for binkey clips and bibs.

I would love to crochet a blanket for a friend who is due in April. She lives in Africa and I think something crochet would be perfect, light and airy, but enough to cover her and protect her from the chill.

And then there are some things that I just want to make, like those cute tutu's!

I have the supplies, just running out of energy. Maybe one day!

But for now ... where to begin?

List of Resolutions

I have never been much of a list person. I don't really get motivated by lists and checking things off of them. I do, however, love to do things under pressure. This is really what motivates me. I have a warped sense of how long things will actually take, therefore, leaving things until the last minute.

In 2011 I hope to do things differently. Less chaotic, less "fly by the seat of your pants." I have goals that I would like to accomplish or at least start. I usually make one "resolution" and for the past 4 years has been to loose weight. This past year I have lost 15 pounds from April to September and since September, just "watching what I eat," not so much trying to loose weight and have gaind 5 pounds :(

So here is my list for 2011

1. Loose 15 more pounds, hopefully more, but 15 would make me happy.

Last April my roommate and I joined a gym and went regularly 3 times a week and felt Great! In June we saw how much success her mother and aunt had on Weight Watchers and decided to do it unofficially keeping eachother accountable for what we ate. September we both had reached our goals and were happy. After our vacation we had a hard time getting back into the routine hoping to loose an additional 10 pounds before the end of the year and falling short.

So this year I am going to plan on going to the gym and use the membership I pay for at least 2 times per week and continue to eat healthy and stay within my points. We usually use recipes from here.

2. Be more organized in both work and home life.

I am the Pediatric Lead Nurse in a busy Emergency Department. I was promoted to this position last December and really have only taken on the schedule. I know that they want me to be part of more meetings and encorporate more educational oppertunities. I need to learn to how to balance the clinical with administrative time and not overwork myself. Hopefully getting the new Verizon iPhone and balancing my calanders will help. I just can't get over the paper calanders, I love hand written calanders!

At home, I want to keep my house clean so that the days that I am off, I am not constantly picking up and cleaning. I need to become better organized and have a place for all things. This will help me with other goals that I have like paying bills on time. This is a great website to use to help begin to get yourself organized. I love the look of well organized areas!

3. Pay off debt and manage money better, including paying bills ontime.

I did pay off my debt last year, and managed to get in debt again. My mother is great at managing money and saving, I did not get that great gene from her. I currently don't live on a budget nor do I balance my checking account on a monthly basis. I don't think if that were a resolution of mine that I would every be able to check that off my list, however managing my bills and paying them ontime is a real and a necessary possibility. I have a lot of things direct debited and this is great, I just need to come up with a way to manage this and know when everything is being debited. I plan to make an excell worksheet with due dates and dates when things are debited untill I have another plan.

4. Start Masters program for Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

This gives me palpatations just thinking about it! I have so many unanswered questions, however, there are many changes happening and soon, and after 2015, you would have to have a Doctorate to practice, so I better start now and I will graduate in 2014 and hopefully pass my boards so I don't have to go back for my Doctorate (sigh). This is why managing my money and home is so important. I know that it takes a lot of effort and most people can't do it holding a full time career, but I have no other option and will continue as planned going to school part time and continue to work as the Lead Nurse.

5. Become a better photographer!

I have always been interested in Photography, taking 2 classes in high school and one in college. I got a DLSR last year for my birthday present and have enjoyed taking pictures in Brazil along with photographing special moments in my friends life and taking newborn photos of my neice. I would also like to learn Photoshop better as well. I just have to find the time to get out and shoot!

There are some clases that are held in the area. PennCamera offer some and hopefully in the spring I will enroll.

Well this is all for now. I feel good about these goals for the new year and hopefully this time next year I will be skinnier, more organized, richer, back in school with 1 semester under my belt, and a better photographer! I hope that listing this on my blog will keep me accountable for each goal and I will update monthly with my progress. This will also help me blog more which is on my list, just not the top 5. I enjoy reading them much more thatn writing them.

Until next time!

Introducing Baby Zoey Brielle ...

Yesterday morning I was at work, taking care of the sick kids coming into the ER. As I was discharging a family the secretary taps me on the shoulder and says "Your mom's on the phone." I quickly finished with the family excused myself and rushed to the phone... (my mom never calls me at work.) My mother then said that my sister was in LABOR!

It was fine, but we had it all planned out with a few bumps in the road. Zoey was schedule to make her appearance on Wednesday not Monday. Zoey was supposed to come on November 26th but because of a previous c-section and some complications, my sister and her doctor decided to schedule her c-section for November 16th, tomorrow. Later my sister tells me that she started with contractions at 2am early Monday morning, they called the doctor and the doctor advised them to come to the hospital. Too bad the hospital is about 1 hour and 20 minutes away. So she quickly thew some items in a bag (shame, shame... she should have had this packed) and they rushed off to the hopsital with my 5 yr old neice, Regan in tow. Doing 80-95mph they reach the hospital and contractions for the 35 minute drive was every 2 minutes. They check her in, started monitoring the baby, placed her epidural and made my sister comfortable. Since Regan was there and no one was there to watch her, they were going to hold off untill my mother could arrive to take my neice. My mom arrived at 9:30 and the took my sister in to the OR. By 10:18 Zoey Brielle joined our family and I couldn't be more excited! So one of her first pics with her big sister!







I love this photo! It was taken with my mom's phone, since no one bothered to pack a camera. I can't get over Regan's orange lips. My mom says Regan wants to do EVERYTHING for Zoey. She feels extra special when Zoey always falls asleep in her arms. Such a little mama already. Zoey has so much hair! I know that Zoey will be loved much... WELCOME TO THE FAMILY ZOEY... Prepare for a crazy ride...

Much love,
Aunt Bobbi

Happy HALLOWEEN!!

I got to go away this weekend to the beach! We had such a great time hanging out with family and friends. We even got to go trick or treating! which is something I don't get to do since I don't have any kids and I don't think people would have anything appropriate for doggies!

We dressed our dogs up none the less. I found these great costumes at PetSmart for 75% off and they were great. So with out further adu ...

INTRODUCING PRESLEY AND ELLIE!!

Presley...


I loved this cow costume, Presley didn't enjoy the head piece very well, but it was so cute!

and Ellie...



We initially had a dragon costume, but I think the angel was much cuter. It was just the wings, but since our dogs have a top knot, I decided to make a halo out of pipe cleaners and wrap it around her top knot. It stayed remarkably well and didn't come off when she shook.

We went trick or treating with my roomates niece and the dogs got to go in their stroller. They were so well behaved!

One of the best trick or treaters that I heard about was a teenage mother, with her 3 mo old baby came trick o treating smoking a cigarette with either her baby's daddy or her husband. I wonder if that was her costume or if she was trick or treating for her baby... which then bring the question of "who is going to eat the candy?" AWESOME!!

I hope everyone have a safe and Happy Halloween!!